USDA: Scattered Frost in Corn Belt Misses Primary Ag Regions

USDA's Joint Ag Weather Facilitysays in the Corn Belt, cool air covers the Great Lakes region, although this morning's scattered frost was confined to northern sections of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan — well outside the primary agricultural region.

In the West, USDA says very warm, dry weather continues to promote a rapid pace of fieldwork and crop growth. "Warmth is accelerating the snow-melt rate across the Cascades and the northern Rockies," USDA reports.

On the Plains, USDA says dry weather favors fieldwork. "Record-setting warmth continues to expand across the northern and central High Plains, where today's high temperatures will approach 90°F," USDA explains.

In the South, USDA reports unsettled weather continues to provide drought relief in the southern Atlantic states. "Currently, some of the heaviest rain is overspreading Florida," USDA adds. In contrast, drought continues to develop and expand across the mid-South, including the northern Mississippi Delta, USDA continues.

In its outlook, USDA says during the next several days, much of the nation will experience warmer-than-normal weather. "Exceptions will include a brief surge of cool air across the Great Lakes and Northeastern states, and a short-lived, late-week cool spell across the West," USDA explains. Meanwhile, USDA says showers will linger for several days across the lower Southeast, providing additional drought relief. "Elsewhere, significant late-week precipitation will be confined to the northern Rockies, northern and central Plains, and the upper Midwest," USDA reports.